Five East County tackle football teams boast 2-0 starts through the opening two weeks of non-league play: the Granite Hills Eagles and Steele Canyon Cougars from the Grossmont Hills League, the Santana Sultans and Grossmont Foothillers from the Grossmont Valley League and the Mountain Empire Red Hawks from the Sunset League.
SOARING EAGLES
Granite Hills junior Zachary Benitez passed for four touchdowns without an interception in compiling a 138.4 quarterback efficiency rating in last Friday’s 52-17 non-league win against the visiting Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders.
Benitez has passed for eight touchdowns with a cumulative 144.0 QB rating in the Eagles’ 2-0 start to the 2025 season. Overall, he’s completed 52 of 69 passing attempt for 670 yards — a 75.4 completion percentage.
He’s had a lot of assistance.
Seven players have caught touchdown passes in the early going, including two each by seniors Noah Walker (four catches, 136 yards) and Emilio Vera (four catches, 38 yards). Players with one TD each include seniors Tristan Diaz (17 catches, 161 yards), Rocket Demery (nine catches, 134 yards) and D.J. Wilkins (seven catches, 60 yards) and juniors Zhedan Smith (11 catches, 134 yards) and Elijah Arzu (one catch, eight yards).
Granite Hills has scored four rushing touchdowns so far — two by junior Eurijah Schutza (three carries, 14 yards) and one each by juniors Davion Williams (23 carries, 191 yards) and Brody Vicars (eight carries, 52 yards).
Vicars had also passed for one touchdown.
Walker (two catches, 44 yards) had two touchdowns in the team’s latest win while Demery (two catches, 51 yards) and Diaz (13 catches, 48 yards) each had one TD reception. Williams (eight carries, 112 yards) and Vicars (17 carries 49 yards) each scored one rushing touchdown.
Defensively, four players each had one interception: Senior Braydon Wells, Demery, Smith and Williams. Wells scored on a 36-yard pick in last Friday’s game.
Junior Jacob Nunez was seven- for-seven on touchdown conversion attempts while tacking on a 25-yard field goal for 10 kicking points.
The Eagles enter this Saturday’s non-league game (Sept. 6) in Gilbert, Ariz., against the Perry Pumas ranked fifth overall in the San Diego Section, once again knocking on the door of inclusion in the elite Open Division (top four ranked teams). The No. 5 team receives the top seed in the Division I playoffs, which Granite Hills won last year..
STEELE CURTAIN
Junior quarterback Gavin Caha passed for 164 yards and scored twice, while senior Vincent Pryor scored on a 37-yard run and senior Noah scored on a 55-yard fumble return to lead the host Cougars to a 2-0 start following last Friday’s 35-7 nonleague victory against the visiting Madison Warhawks.
Junior Abel Lopez rushed for 89 yards on 19 carries while junior Marcus Hunt gained 60 yards on 10 carries to key the ground game. Junior Malcolm Ballard caught three passes for 88 yards. Including one aerial measuring 73 yards.
Senior Ace Woolf added eight points to the total on two extra point kicks and two field goals.
The Cougars will put their undefeated record on the line when they venture into the city to take on the host Morse Tigers (1-1) on Friday, Sept. 5.
CLUTCH WIN
Trailing by scores of 8-0, 14-7 and 22-14, host Mountain Empire scored the lone touchdown in the fourth quarter and then added a successful two-point conversion to take the Calipatria Hornets into the over – time tie – breaker a n d prevail 28 – 22 with the lone score in the OT period in last Friday’s non – league encounter.
The dramatic ending added up to a 2-0 start for the Red Hawks, who won only one game all last season (1-9 record).
Mountain Empire will attempt to triple its win total of a season ago when it hosts Nuevo Nuview Bridge (0-2) this Friday at 7 p.m.
Nuview Bridge was shut out 38-0 in its last game by Arroyo Valley and lost, 42-7, to the San Bernardino Pacific Pirates in its season opener.
HILLERS HOOPLA
Grossmont junior QB Tyler Holmes had two passing touchdowns and one rushing score while seniors Randy Ballard and Kenny Krauss each had one receiving TD in last Friday’s 36-14 win over the Wolverines. Sophomore Corbin Dow had one rushing score while senior Colton Burke blocked a punt and returned it for a TD.
“The team is playing hard and tough,” Grossmont coach Anthony Lawrence said.
Seniors Drew Sasena and Maximus Tufugafale and sophomores Jackson Baird and Vinny Michelson all had one sack.
Santana junior Ethan Miller passed for 150 yards and touchdowns to junior Kolten Thornton (eight catches, 35 yards) and senior Sean Gardinera (two catches, 27 yards) to carry the Sultans past the Colts, 14-7. Last Friday.
Santana racked up five sacks, including two by senior Jordyn Gillissie and one each by juniors Ryder Davey and Anthony Terry and senior Cohen Waider, and an interception by junior Denton Goar to brace the defense.
Seniors Maddox Esoo and Caleb Carnes and junior Evan Liesche each had one fumble recovery.
